Missing man's death ruled a homicide

Friday

NEW BEDFORD — The state Medical Examiner's Office has determined that Mike Duarte, the 36-year-old carpenter who was found dead in a Churchill Street home Wednesday, was the victim of a homicide.

NEW BEDFORD — The state Medical Examiner's Office has determined that Mike Duarte, the 36-year-old carpenter who was found dead in a Churchill Street home Wednesday, was the victim of a homicide.

Meanwhile, the prime suspect, who led Connecticut police on a high-speed chase in Duarte's stolen four-door Honda Civic Wednesday, will not be extradited from that state until at least Monday.

Gregg Miliote, spokesman for Bristol County District Attorney C. Samuel Sutter, wrote in an email that the District Attorney's Office would not be commenting on the manner of death, as the crime is still under investigation.

Thomas Gardner, 35, will not be extradited until at least Monday, as his arraignment in Bridgeport Superior Court was pushed back after he was hospitalized Thursday. The Westport (Conn.) News reported Gardner suffered a seizure while in custody. The court is closed today for Veterans Day.

He is being held on a $1 million bond for his criminal charges, which include larceny and interfering with and resisting police, and also faces extradition, according to the Bridgeport Superior Court clerk's office. He also is being held on a $50,000 bond for various motor vehicle charges, which include reckless driving and engaging police in pursuit, according to that office. As of Thursday night he had not been charged with murder, while local authorities stressed the matter was still under investigation.

New Bedford Police Chief David Provencher said he will not comment on the situation as it is under investigation and deferred questions to Sutter's office.

Duarte's body was found Wednesday inside a modest single-family, three-bedroom, ranch-style home tucked away in a quiet residential neighborhood just off Acushnet Avenue in the far North End. The home sits on less than an acre of land and was built around 1957. The property is assessed at $201,000. The District Attorney's Office is describing the home as "unoccupied," while the city's assessors database lists the owner as Sarah Gardner, who is Thomas Gardner's estranged wife, according to court documents. The database indicates Sarah Gardner bought the property from Thomas Gardner for $100 in 2005. Police have said Thomas Gardner was staying in the house recently.

Duarte, a father of two and a city resident, had been missing since Saturday.

Thursday, the neighborhood was quiet. Debris leaned against a garage at the address, a movable basketball hoop was tipped over in the driveway and an Alferes Realty for-sale sign was posted in the front yard.

Veronica Washer, who lives on Churchill Street, described Gardner as a friendly guy who would wave to neighbors as he walked two American bulldogs and recalled him setting off fireworks on the Fourth of July.

She said police had been called to the 1058 Churchill St. house more than once in recent years, but said she never thought of Gardner as a threat to the neighborhood.

"I don't know; it's just that none of it sounds right," Washer said Thursday.

Court records at New Bedford District Court show Gardner has run afoul of the law in the past.

He was charged with violating a restraining order twice in the past year for having contact with his wife and son, according to court documents.

In February, he faced charges of driving a motor vehicle without authority and threatening to commit a crime.

Over the summer, he faced charges of leaving the scene of property damage and driving with a suspended license.

Court documents describe Gardner as between 5 feet 5 inches and 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing about 145 pounds. Some of the files suggested Gardner worked in a fish house but did not specify which one.

The investigation, according to Miliote's press release, is being coordinated by co-First Assistant District Attorney William McCauley and Assistant District Attorneys Katie Rayburn and Michael Cahillane.

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